My little sister, Chris, is an Environmental Scientist for a large company based here in Atlanta. I am not sure what her day to day activities involve, but she travels a lot along the east coast testing things, and when she comes to visit my house it has apparently given her license to dig through my trash and give me lengthy lectures on recycling (side note: we do recycle, but an occasional stray gets a talking to). She also helps head a volunteer organization out of her company that monitors quarterly clean-ups for a local park in Alpharetta. Last week while Chris was in Florida I received a very excited phone call from her. She informed me that Disney is doing a promotion called Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. From January 1 to December 15, 2010, if you volunteer for one day at an organization like Chris's you will get a free pass to your choice of Disney World or Disneyland. They will be giving away the free tickets to the first one million volunteers who sign up (children 6 and up also eligible) and complete a volunteering session at one of their participating organizations. There are a wide variety of organizations involved, and the website lists how many/what type of volunteers are needed with in your area. To see a complete list check out the Give A Day website, and for more information click here. What a great way for you and your family to give back to the community and earn a day of fun at the same time! Thanks Chris for the info, and I can't wait to hear everyone's fun volunteering and Disney stories!! :)
I wanted to update you guys about the Giving Is Awesome giveaway. This year, I received a total of 17 entries! As I read over all the nominations, my heart was so touched. It was very difficult to read about the many who had lost jobs, lost homes, lost children/loved ones over the last year. More than one of the nominations had endured multiple losses or hardships, and often at times simultaneously. I realized just how difficult 2009 was for some individuals and am happy to help at least in some small way.
On New Year's Day, I enlisted some family members to help choose the winner. After much debating it was finally narrowed it down to one. I contacted the winner on January 2nd, and tears were brought to my eyes to hear just how excited they were about this gift. They are most definitely a very special family that deserves to have such special memories available at their fingertips, and I look forward to being a part of their lives.
Several of you have emailed or messaged me interested in knowing the winner and the story itself. For the last few days I have gone back and forth over whether or not to share the winner's story. On a daily basis, I try to keep as much anonymity for my clients as possible, and after much thought I have decided for the winner's own safety and privacy that I will not share their story or the nomination email I received. I can say that they are a true inspiration and that I hope 2010 will be a year of wonderful new beginnings for them. :)
Thank you again for all the wonderful nominations and I hope to participate in the Giving Is Awesome give a way again this year as well.
Jen
You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty. 
During my session with the M family, Mrs. M showed me this awesome mommy necklace that she had made. She told me a very special woman named Tracy makes them for her and that a portion of her proceeds goes towards charities supporting adoption. The necklace was beyond beautiful! To view necklaces similar to this and her other work visit Tracy's site at http://www.junkposse.etsy.com/.
